EE 2G/3G/4G Discussion Thread (Part 2)

Comments

If only they could get the Nexus devices supported. Seems bizarre they're not 4G Calling capable yet.

Indeed, I also wonder when the S7 and HTC 10 will get updated as these were promised 4G calling at some point in the future.
Should be interesting to see whether the Note 7 is the first device to support 4G calling out of the box?

Thank you. Apparently the trophy is 'planned' at this stage which essentially means a chap has been sent out from London with it on a unicycle and once he get's wiped out on the M4, it will revert to 'Nothing planned for this area'.

I know that the S4 was poor in regards to holding onto 3G/4G, but I didn't know that the antenna was generally crap in the S4.
Why don't the mobile phone designers have to stick to a given antenna design that is known to work in poor signal areas?

Is the LG G4/G5 any better than the lousy S4 antenna? I know that the S4 won't get VoLTE, but if the LG G4 (or G5) has a better antenna, as well as the possibility of Volte, it will sway me towards ditching the S4, which I have had for two years now...

I had an S4 a couple of years ago. I had basically no service in my house all the time, and couldn't stand it any longer and was going to leave Three.

Then I got a Sony Xperia Z2. And ta-da! 1 or 2 bars throughout the house. Now have an iPhone 6 and it's the same usable signal.

The S4 was, and still is if I try my sim in it, awful at picking up signal generally.

I had an S4 a couple of years ago. I had basically no service in my house all the time, and couldn't stand it any longer and was going to leave Three.

Then I got a Sony Xperia Z2. And ta-da! 1 or 2 bars throughout the house. Now have an iPhone 6 and it's the same usable signal.

The S4 was, and still is if I try my sim in it, awful at picking up signal generally.

Ha! Thanks for letting me know about this; I thought that the S4 was quite poor if it wasn't even living up to receiving the same signal as the old Galaxy Ace Plus, which a family member now owns.
So, poor antenna + jumps to 2G too quickly = not very happy!

Having seen that the G5 will get 4G Calling, I might upgrade to that in the future, though I'm hoping the G4 will also get 4G Calling as it's cheaper and has room for a bigger battery, if you put a different size back on it (that allows for the bigger battery). Whereas the G5's battery just slots in and out, and you can't put a bigger one in...

Also, if I got a G4 or G5 with Volte support, how would I flash the firmware to get Volte working?

If you're going to buy one, buy a G5. Don't buy a G4.

If you do, you will be far from guaranteed VoLTE and you'll find yourself in the same position you're in now in a couple of years - with an outdated phone, 2, 3 or even 4 versions behind the current model and never likely to see the features you want.

Save up. Beg, borrow or steal. Buy on a contract. But please (for all our sakes) if you're going to buy a new phone - make sure it's a current model on the day you buy it.

Yes, there is 4G. Yes, the panels are still positioned weirdly. One panel down towards Sealife/Tescos/towards Heacham.
One panel towards Old Hunstanton.
The last panel pointing across the open field to cover the other direction.
What panel covers the town? Erm... None of them!
It was a day of two halves...
First half had 3G working nicely in most parts, albeit weak indoors and in some areas. 4G also worked nicely, and gave better indoor coverage than 3G.
Second half, in the mid to late afternoon? Forget it. Tried 3G and either had emergency calls only, or a signal with no throughput.
Tried 4G. Result, no throughput or no signal at all.
Then forget it and don't bother using the phone!
Also compared it to a family member with what used to be my Galaxy Ace Plus, it's a 2011 phone with no 4G and 3G at HSDPA 7.2. Result? Shunted off 3G and onto EDGE! It may have been 50% + strength, 4 bars, but EDGE is useless for data!

Overall verdict: Still needs improvement. What would help is either a quad panel, a six panel (or at least six sector) setup, or at the very least, the panels to be rearranged so that Hunstanton actually gets decent coverage.